1927 Bugatti Type 40 Break de Chasse

Offered by Gooding & Company | April 2024

Bugatti’s Type 40 was produced from 1926 through 1930. In that time, just 796 examples were made, including this one, which originally wore sedan bodywork. The model was powered by a 1.5-liter inline-four.

But the story here is twofold. One, the bodywork. It was in the 1930s or ’40s when the car was rebodied with wooden rear coachwork. It bounced around France for a few years before story number two comes into play: ownership. In 1958 it was sold to American Bugatti collector John Shakespeare.

In 1964, Shakespeare made one of the worst decisions in the history of car collecting: he sold his entire collection to the Schlumpf brothers in France. The brothers, of course, assembled a massive hoard of cars, with a focus on Bugattis, at the expense of their hard-working employees, who eventually rioted and took control of the factory and collection. It now lives on as the national automotive museum of France. Everything in there, locked away forever, never to be enjoyed as they were meant to be: driven.

However, this car was part of the museum’s “reserve” collection. That is, “extras.” When you have the car collecting status that Peter Mullin did, sometimes you can escape some trapped cars, and he bought the entire Schlumpf reserve in 2008. He died recently, and Gooding is liquidating his museum. So, through some roundabout circumstances over 60 years, the car is resurfacing and may someday again be driven. The estimate is $100,000-$150,000. More info can be found here.

1929 Bugatti Type 40 Roadster Luxe

Offered by RM Auctions | Lake Como, Italy | May 25, 2013

The Bugatti Type 40 was the follow-up model to the successful Brescia. It was the “light” Bugatti, introduced in 1926 and built through 1930, making this car from the second-to-last year of manufacture. In all, more than 780 were built.

The engine was a 1.5-liter straight-four making 45 horsepower. This car is one of 42 built with Jean Bugatti’s “Roadster Luxe” bodywork. It is a highly desirable pre-war sports car design. This is one of four delivered new to Paris, but the identity of the first owners is not known.

The current owner acquired it in 1984 and had it repainted to match the color combination of Jean Bugatti’s personal Type 40 Roadster – black and red. The black wheels are a nice touch, too. This car has all of its original parts and is highly original. It is the 22nd Jean Bugatti Roadster built and one of only 13 that still survive today. A couple hundred thousand dollars is a reasonable price (as in the $325,000-$390,000 range). Click here for more info and here for more from RM at Villa Erba.

Update: Sold $422,240.